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Amritpal not yet arrested, foreign funding, ISI hand suspected says Punjab Police, warns against rumours and fake news

OpIndia Staff
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Amritpal not yet arrested, foreign funding, ISI hand suspected says Punjab Police, warns against rumours and fake news

Punjab Police on Monday clarified that the pro-Khalistan fugitive Amritpal Singh is still on the run and not yet arrested. Police has intensified efforts to clamp down on him and his aides since March 18, 2023. Some of his aides are detained and some are taken to Assam’s Dibrugarh. Amritpal Singh, however, continues to be on the run.

The IGP Punjab Police mentioned that several rumours are being spread about him but they are categorically stating that the pro-Khalistan fugitive is yet to be arrested.

He further said, that there is peace in the state and situation is stable. “Particular action was taken against a few elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ against whom six criminal cases are registered,” IGP Punjab Sukhchain Singh Gill said.

He further added that so far 114 elements had tried to disturb peace and harmony and have been rounded up and arrested. Of these, 78 were arrested on first day while 34 on day 2 and 2 were nabbed late last night. Ten weapons have also been recovered.

IGP Gill added that the police suspects Pakistan’s ISI hand on basis of the facts and circumstances that have come to the fore till now. Police also suspects foreign funding. It must be noted that on Saturday late night, hours after Punjab Police launched a massive manhunt against Amritpal Singh, the international ‘toolkit’ was activated where Khalistan sympathiser celebrities and politicians based out of Canada and the UK amongst others took to Twitter to support Amritpal Singh and falsely claimed that the Indian state was cracking down on ‘Sikhs’, thereby trying to create a Hindus vs Sikh divide.

“The bulletproof jackets and rifles that have been recovered and the gate (of the house) of the chief (Amritpal Singh) had AKF written on them. There was an attempt to form a Jathebandi called ‘Anandpur Khalsa Fauj’,” IGP Gill further said. He added that Amritpal Singh’s four aides, Daljeet Kalsi, Basant Singh, Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala and Bhagwant Singh were sent to Dibrugarh in Assam and fifth detainee, Harjeet Singh, uncle of Amritpal Singh was on his way there. He further added that the NSA (National Security Act) has been invoked against the five detainees.

Saba Naqvi inadvertently ends up tweeting pro-Rahul Gandhi toolkit, here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Saba Naqvi inadvertently ends up tweeting pro-Rahul Gandhi toolkit, here is what happened

On Monday (March 20) morning, ‘journalist’ Saba Naqvi courted controversy after she inadvertently posted the screenshot of a ‘Congress toolkit’ targeting the ruling BJP government.

As part of the propaganda, Naqvi was supposed to post only the graphics and links shared with her by Congress IT Cell. Instead, she included the entire email transcript (archive), containing the propaganda material.

Saba Naqvi, who poses as a ‘neutral journalist’, inadvertently exposed how she shares tweets at the behest of the Congress party. This has left netizens wondering whether her criticism of the government is at all organic or sponsored by rival Opposition parties.

Screengrab of the tweet by Saba Naqvi

It must be mentioned that the graphic posted by Saba Naqvi was originally designed by cartoonist-turned-propagandist Satish Acharya. “You can’t speak,” he had tweeted on Saturday (March 18) in the hopes of deviating public discourse from the anti-India tirade of Rahul Gandhi in the United Kingdom.

Interestingly, the ‘toolkit’ was published in its entirety by Congress sympathiser, Sukla Sen, on his Facebook profile. It included captions and relevant links for friendly journalists and activists to share on social media and rationalise Rahul Gandhi’s anti-India remarks in the process.

The captions included, ‘Storm over Rahul Gandhi Speeches in London: An Updated Account’, ‘Arun Jaitley testifies on the campaign against Emergency on foreign soil’ and excerpts from the speech of the Congress scion.

The IT Cell of the grand-old party relied on whataboutery and false equivalence to justify Rahul Gandhi’s demand for foreign intervention in the internal political affairs of India.

Screengrab of the Facebook post of Sukla Sen

Reportedly, Sukla Sen is a Mumbai-based activist and the founding member of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP). One of the demands of the organisation, founded in the year 2000, is the rollback of the nuclear weapons programmes of India and Pakistan.

 The Congress sympathiser is also the author of several propaganda pieces, across several publications. He has cast aspersions on the Rafale Deal, tried to downplay BJP’s landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and fear-mongered about the BJP as early as 2009.

The toolkit controversy and its origins

The monicker ‘toolkit’ has become a shorthand for the systemic targeting of India and its institutions by a vicious cabal of journalists, activists and politicians.

It was first popularised by infamous climate activist Greta Thunberg, who inadvertently revealed the sinister global campaign in a tweet during the anti-farm law protests in India in February 2021.

The document shared by Greta Thunberg listed a series of actions that people across the world could take to pressurise the Indian Government over the cause of agitating farmers.

As part of the plan, celebrities including Rihanna, Mia Khalifa and Canadian MP Jagmeet and others came forward in support of the anti-farm law protests. The ‘toolkit’ shared by Greta Thunberg has made it clear that it was part of a larger conspiracy to cause unrest in India.

Later, in May 2021, a Congress toolkit began doing the rounds on social media, which suggested ways to paint the Kumbh Mela as a ‘Covid-10 super-spreader.’

Haryana: Journalist arrested for spreading misinformation, SC-ST Act invoked on complaint of BJP MLA’s son

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: Journalist arrested for spreading misinformation, SC-ST Act invoked on complaint of BJP MLA’s son

In Haryana, a Fatehabad-based journalist Jaspal Singh was arrested on charges of spreading false news to ‘defame’ a local BJP MLA Lakshman Napa, as well as violating the SC-ST act and the IT act. The arrest came after the son of the MLA filed a complaint against Singh, accusing him of intentionally spreading false information about his father.

Sumit Kumar, the son of Ratia BJP MLA had lodged a police complaint against Singh blaming him for defaming his father through various WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms like Facebook. Kumar alleged that Jaspal Singh had posted the news in various WhatsApp groups and Facebook regarding his father’s name appearing in a gambling case lodged on March 16.

Several journalist bodies on Sunday condemned Jaspal’s arrest. The journalist, Jaspal Singh, was produced before a court in Ratia on Sunday and was sent to judicial custody. Many journalists from Haryana met Fatehabad deputy commissioner Jagdish Sharma on Saturday and submitted a memorandum to him. In the memorandum, the journalists said Singh was picked from his home and called it an attack on journalism and an attempt to subdue independent voices.

The police detained the Fatehabad-based TV journalist Jaspal Singh after an FIR was lodged under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Sections 384 (extortion) and 500 (defamation) of the IPC and various sections of the SC/ST Act on the complaint of BJP MLA from Ratia Lakshman Napa’s son Sumit Kumar.

Kumar said in the FIR that one more journalist had allegedly posted erroneous things on a WhatsApp group adding ‘this journalist stated that they were not taking care of him’. The MLA’s son further alleged that “attempts were being made to defame their political image because Napa belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.

Journalists have termed the allegations false and have sought the withdrawal of the FIR. The national executive of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), which met in Chandigarh on Saturday and Sunday, has also taken note of Singh’s arrest. IJU General Secretary and former president of Chandigarh Press Club Balwinder Singh said: “It is unfortunate that FIRs have been lodged against many journalists during the past few years. All such cases should be withdrawn without any delay.”

The charges against Singh under the SC-ST and IT acts have also been met with criticism. OpIndia has reported several cases where the SC-ST act has been used indiscriminately against people. Notably, the SC has also opined that a complaint cannot be registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act just because the complainant is a member of the SC/ST community. The offence in question must be directed towards the caste of the individual.

Ahead of Ramzan, shocker from Alwar: 16-year-old girl commits suicide after being gang-raped; Sabir, Nasir, and Nazir booked

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of Ramzan, shocker from Alwar: 16-year-old girl commits suicide after being gang-raped; Sabir, Nasir, and Nazir booked

Ahead of the Muslim festival of Ramzan, a distressing incident took place in the Naugavan police station area of Alwar, where a 16-year-old girl committed suicide on Sunday, hours after being gang-raped. The deceased’s mother had filed a complaint accusing Sabir, Nasir, and Nazir of abducting and gang-raping her daughter.

As per the police complaint, the accused had kidnapped the girl when she had gone to check on her family’s cattle at 8 pm on Saturday. She was reportedly taken to an isolated area on the outskirts of the village and gang-raped by the accused.

SHO Sunil Tak of Naugavan police station told TOI, “The girl arrived at her home at 10 pm following the assault and recounted the harrowing experience. Her family comforted her and assured her that they would report the incident to the police the following morning on Sunday. She then went to sleep.”

However, at 3 am on Sunday night, the girl committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling of her room. “The family rushed her to the community health centre in Ramgarh where she was declared brought dead,” the officer said.

According to the police, all three accused are married and on the run. The three have been booked for abetment to suicide, along with gang rape.

The victim’s body was handed over to the relatives after the post-mortem. The girl’s mother had filed a complaint against the three persons and said that her daughter was kidnapped and raped, which forced her to end her life.  

Kerala HC cancels result of Devikulam assembly constituency as CPM MLA A Raja contested from a reserved SC seat despite being Christian

ANI
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Kerala HC cancels result of Devikulam assembly constituency as CPM MLA A Raja contested from a reserved SC seat despite being Christian

The Kerala High Court on Monday cancelled the result of the assembly election held at Devikulam constituency in Idukki district, noting that the MLA does not qualify to contest from the constituency.

The court’s ruling came on a plea submitted by the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate of the constituency, D Kumar, demanding the cancellation of the election result of Left Democratic Front (LDF) MLA A Raja. 

Kumar had alleged that Raja belongs to the Christian community and does not qualify to contest for a seat reserved for the Schedule Caste.

The elections on the constituency of Devikulam were held in 2021, and CPM leader A Raja won by a margin of over 7000 votes.

Devikulam happens to be a seat reserved for the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste community. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Kolkata: Hindu Jagran attacked by a mob, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demands action against the culprits

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata: Hindu Jagran attacked by a mob, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demands action against the culprits

A mob of 200-250 miscreants laid siege on a Hindu Jagran, which was organised at College Street in Central Kolkata. The matter came to light after West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took to social media to seek immediate action from the police.

In a tweet, he said, “This is the law & order situation of Central Kolkata. A ‘Jagaran’ has been vandalised by ‘easily identifiable’ miscreants with obvious motives, in the heart of Kolkata. @CPKolkata kindly take immediate action. Any inaction could be misconstrued as an endorsement.”

Adhikari also shared a video of a frenzied mob vandalising the properties, hurling stones, and attacking the devotees.

A BJP worker named Subodh Das narrated that the singer, who was at the helm of the affairs of the Jagran, was also attacked. He informed that about 3-4 devotees were grievously injured in the attack and even the women were not spared.

As per a report by TV9 Hindi, the Hindu community in Kolkata’s Ward No. 38 and 40 organised Sheetala Puja, which allegedly came under attack by Trinamool Congress workers as per the report.

Following the incident, a large contingent of police was deployed in the area to bring the law and order situation under control. A police complaint was also filed at the Amherst Street Police Station in Kolkata.

Anti-Hindu violence was reported from Kolkata’s Mominpore earlier

In October last year, OpIndia had reported how Islamists vandalised bikes and shops belonging to Hindus at Maila Depot in Mominpore.

According to West Bengal BJP Chief Sukanta Majumdar, the Hindu community was forced to flee after their houses came under attack in Mayurbhanj in the Kolkata port area. BJP leader Pritam Sur also shared scary visuals where miscreants were seen unleashing mayhem on the streets.

Under the false allegation that an Islamic flag was desecrated, the accused also ambushed the Ekbalpur police station and forced the cops to flee.

OpIndia had also learnt that the Hindus were targeted by Islamists for refusing to dismantle the Durga Puja pandals, ahead of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.

A Kolkata-based journalist, who is privy to the incident, said the Durga Puja conducted by the Harijan Durgosave Committee (comprising of Hindu Dalits) was the primary target of the Islamists.

Suvendu Adhikari wrote to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. He sought urgent deployment of central forces in the region to protect the Hindu community that came under attack from the Islamists.

‘Water cannon man’ arrested in Amritpal Singh case: Read how liberals had made a hero out of a Khalistan supporter

Jinit Jain
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‘Water cannon man’ arrested in Amritpal Singh case: Read how liberals had made a hero out of a Khalistan supporter

Navdeep Singh Jalbehra, hailed by ‘liberals’ as the ‘water cannon man’ during the Delhi agitation, was taken into custody on Sunday for protesting against the police’s action towards Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De. Following his arrest, Jalbehra urged for the resumption of the Shambhu barrier protest in solidarity with the radical activist and Khalistan supporter.

Navdeep gained widespread attention during the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march in November 2020 when he climbed onto a water cannon and redirected it away from the farmers, ultimately turning it off to protect them from police action aimed at preventing the protesters from crossing the Punjab-Haryana border to reach Delhi. Recently, on Sunday, Navdeep posted a video on Facebook in which he called on people to support Amritpal, describing him as a unique warrior: “Individuals like him are not born every day.”

But Navdeep, arrested for demonstrating in favour of a Khalistan supporter, was hailed by the left-leaning liberals as a hero for breaking police barricade and attempting to run over policemen with a speeding tractor-trolley during farmer protests in Delhi in 2020.

How liberals made a hero out of a Khalistani supporter

A raft of self-described liberals, who have been supporting lumpen elements and instigating insurrection against the democratically elected government of the day, had gone into raptures about Navdeep Singh and extolled him as a “water cannon man” for defying police authorities and breaking barricades, endangering the lives of law enforcement officials.

Aditya Menon, a journalist with The Quint and infamous for slandering the Indian armed forces by passing off a 2012 picture from Syria as that from Kashmir, had extolled Navdeep as a young farmer who braved police officials to turn off water cannon tap during the farmers’ protest in Delhi.

Source: Twitter

Congress leader Dr Shama Mohamed had characterised Navdeep as a young man whose only crime was to turn off the “water cannon” after he was charged with an attempt to murder for running over a police barricade and endangering the lives of the personnel deployed during the 2020 tractor rally in Delhi.

Source: Twitter

Shyam Meera Singh, unceremoniously sacked from Aaj Tak over disciplinary issues in 2021, too had sung praises for Navdeep Singh after police booked for an attempt to murder charge during the 2020 farmers’ protests.

Source: Twitter

Jayant Singh, National President of RLD, had glorified Navdeep Singh’s hooliganism as a man trying to awaken the nation’s conscience.

Source: Twitter

Part-time actor and full-time anarchist, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, dissed the centre for acting against Navdeep Singh for breaking the police barricade and undermining security measures.

Source: Twitter

Congress loyalist Swara Bhasker, who was accused of inciting communal violence in 2021, raised her voice in support of Navdeep Singh after he was charged with an attempt to murder during the farmers’ protest in 2020.

Source: Twitter

Amritpal Singh case

Punjab Police on Sunday evening said that pro-Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh is still on the run despite the massive manhunt launched to nab him. Amritpal Singh is absconding since yesterday after the police launched a crackdown on his Waris Punjab De and arrested several members of the organisation.

“Punjab Police is acting within the law. Amritpal Singh is still absconding and not yet arrested,” IGP Sukhchain Gill said in a video message on Sunday late evening. He also requested all citizens to maintain peace and harmony and not panic. “Don’t believe the rumours and false news. Request all citizens to maintain peace and harmony and not panic,” he said.

The clarification by Punjab police after rumours that Amritpal Singh has been arrested and he has been shifted to Dibrugarh in Assam after the Punjab police confirmed that 4 arrested persons were moved to Dibrugarh by a special Indian Air Force plane. They have been lodged at the central jail in eastern Assam town.

Delhi: Security tightened as farmers gather for ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Ramlila Maidan

ANI
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Delhi: Security tightened as farmers gather for ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Ramlila Maidan

Security personnel have been deployed at the Ramlila Maidan, where thousands of farmers are expected to converge on Monday to participate in the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’. 

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the event goes smoothly, the police said on Sunday. 
The Delhi Traffic Police also issued an advisory yesterday in wake of the Kisan Mahapanchayat to avoid inconvenience to the public. 

The Delhi Traffic Police in a statement stated, “Sanyukt Kisan Morcha is organising a Kisan Rally on February 20 at Ramlila Ground, New Delhi. As per the organisers, 15,000 to 20,000 participants are likely to attend the same, who will start coming to the Ramlila Ground from the intervening night of February 19-20. 

A total of eight diversion points were named in the notification, namely, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Marg Mirdard Chowk, Minot Road R/L, Ajmari Gate, Chaman Lal Marg, Delhi gate JLN Marg, R/A Kamala Market to Hamdard Chowk, Bhavbhuti Marg and Pahrganj Chowk. 

The Delhi Traffic Police advised the public to avoid the given routes, and travel by taking sufficient time in hand. It advised avoiding the use of private vehicles and roadside parking. It also advised people to inform the police about any suspicious movement of any object or person.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Suspension of internet and SMS services to continue in Punjab till Tuesday noon: State government

ANI
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Suspension of internet and SMS services to continue in Punjab till Tuesday noon: State government

Amid the ongoing crackdown against the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, the suspension of mobile internet, SMS and dongle services will continue till Tuesday noon, the Punjab government informed.

“All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab suspended till March 21 (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety,” the department of Home Affairs and Justice, Government of Punjab informed in a statement on Monday. 

The statement by the Punjab government stated that certain sections in the society are likely to threaten public order, and they widely use social media platforms for mobilising their “anti-national activities.”

“It has been brought to my notice that certain sections of society are holding protests at several places in the State and are likely to threaten public order by incitement to violence,” the statement read.

The statement further added, “It has further been brought to my notice that these sections of society widely use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp etc. and also Short Message Service (SMS) for spreading of inflammatory material and false rumours, to provoke mobilization of mobs of agitators and demonstrators, mobilize their own manpower and resources for their anti-national activities”.

Notably, the suspension of internet and SMS services in Punjab was brought in place on Saturday and was again extended on Sunday, in the wake of the situation.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Police informed that the uncle and driver of Amritpal Singh have surrendered before the police.

SSP Jalandhar Swarndeep Singh confirmed saying, “Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh’s uncle and driver surrendered before the Punjab police last night”.

As per the sources, both of them surrendered themselves in Mehatpur. They reached the police station late at night surreptitiously. The two had come in a Mercedes car, which the police have also seized.

Punjab Police on Saturday launched an operation against Amritpal Singh and his aides.

The police said that a total of 112 arrests have been made in the case so far, as 34 were arrested on Sunday. The police also said that the Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh was still on the run and a massive manhunt is launched to nab him.

Previously the central agency sources informed that Daljeet Singh Kalsi alias Sarabjeet Singh Kalsi, who is an alleged advisor and financer of Amritpal Singh, was arrested by the authorities on Sunday.

The vehicle used by ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh for his escape was also seized by Punjab Police, along with several other vehicles and ammunition.

Meanwhile, a heavy police force has been deployed outside Amritpal Singh’s residence in Jallupur Khera village in Amritsar. Security has also been enhanced across the state, as per the police.

The police also conducted flag marches in various parts of the state to maintain law and order and instil confidence among people.

Jalandhar Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal, on Saturday late evening, confirmed that the radical leader had been declared a “fugitive”.

The police action came almost over three weeks after Amritpal’s supporters clashed with uniformed personnel at the Ajnala police station on February 23 on the outskirts of Amritsar, demanding the release of one of Amritpal’s close aides, Lovepreet Toofan.

Thousands of his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station, flashing swords and high-calibre firearms and threatening the police with dire consequences if they did not release Lovepreet Toofan, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting and abducting a man.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Pornographic movie plays on advertisement screens at Patna Railway Station, leaves passengers embarrassed

OpIndia Staff
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Pornographic movie plays on advertisement screens at Patna Railway Station, leaves passengers embarrassed

In an embarrassing and bizarre incident, a pornographic movie was accidentally played for three minutes on multiple advertisement screens at Patna railway station on Sunday morning. The incident has caused outrage among passengers and authorities, prompting the railway authorities to take strict action against the responsible agency.

According to eyewitnesses, the explicit content started playing on multiple screens in the morning of Sunday at around 9.30 am and continued for three minutes before being taken down. The incident caused a major embarrassment to the railway authorities and shocked the passengers waiting at the station.

The railway officials immediately swung into action and launched an investigation to identify the agency responsible for the incident. The agency named Dutta Communications, which was hired to run advertisements on the screens has been blacklisted by the railway authorities, and an FIR has been registered against it. A fine has also been imposed on the agency.

Speaking to the media, a railway official expressed his anger and disappointment over the incident. He said that such incidents could not be tolerated, and the railway authorities will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

Passengers waiting at the station also expressed their anger and shock over the incident. Many of them said that they were embarrassed and felt violated by the explicit content that was played on the screens.

A similar incident happened at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station in Delhi in 2017 when a porn movie was played on the advertisement screens. Delhi metro quickly took down the video from the screens.

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